Growing up, I was surrounded by creative, curious, practical, hard-working mentors who brighten people’s days through their talents. Every day, I saw the power of intentionality and beauty outside of the “fine art” world.

My mother is a color expert with a creative vision as a faux finisher. She would bring me into homes and talk about lifestyle, the need for clear edges, differences in interior design preferences, and respecting others’ homes.

My father is a creative marketer and dreamer who encourages big ideas, diligence, and fun. I have seen the value of deep collaboration and alignment of goals to make something beautiful. And that something beautiful doesn’t need to be big, it just needs to spark that joy and glint in someone’s eyes.

The abrupt ending of my soccer career taught me the importance of creation and appreciation. Being a competitive soccer player was my identity until I had to quit due to multiple concussions. Recovery was a long road of a restricted social life, inability to read due to headaches, and sitting in classrooms just for attendance. That’s when I started sketching to keep myself busy.

Art became a therapy for me, resulting in me pursuing a double major in Studio Art and Corporate Strategy and a minor in History of Art at Vanderbilt University. There, I was the black sheep between the commercial and gallery world of visual language, history, and strategy. I graduated with an art therapy nonprofit plan ready to go, visual communications strategies, and the ability to create on a canvas through paint and digitally with Adobe Creative Cloud.